Man sets himself on fire on the National Mall WASHINGTON (AP) — A man set himself on fire on the National Mall in the nation’s capital as passers-by rushed over to help douse the flames, officials and witnesses said Friday afternoon. The reason for the self-immolation was not immediately clear and the man’s identity was not disclosed. But it occurred in public view, on a central national gathering place, in a city still rattled by a mass shooting last month and a high-speed car chase outs...

Police shoot driver outside Capitol after chase WASHINGTON (AP) — A woman driving a black Infiniti with a young child inside tried to ram through a White House barricade Thursday, then led police on a chase that ended in gunfire outside the Capitol, witnesses and officials said. Tourists watched the shooting unfold on Constitution Avenue outside the Capitol as lawmakers inside debated how to end a government shutdown. Police quickly locked down the entire complex temporarily, and both house...

Chase from White House to Capitol ends in gunfireWASHINGTON (AP) — A woman driving a black Lexus with a young child in the car tried to ram through a White House barricade Thursday, then led police on a chase that ended in gunfire outside the Capitol, witnesses and officials said. Tourists watched the shooting unfold on Constitution Avenue outside the Capitol as lawmakers inside debated how to end a government shutdown. Police quickly locked down the entire complex for about an hour, and bot...

White House meeting yields no progress on shutdown WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama brought congressional leaders to the White House on Wednesday for the first time since a partial government shutdown began, but there was no sign of progress toward ending an impasse that has idled 800,000 federal workers and curbed services around the country. The standoff continued after a White House summit with chief executives as financial leaders and Wall street urged a resolution before serious d...

‘Red October’ novelist Tom Clancy dies at 66 NEW YORK (AP) — In 1985, a year after the Cold War thriller “The Hunt for Red October” came out, author Tom Clancy was invited to lunch at the Reagan White House, where he was questioned by Navy Secretary John Lehman. Who, the secretary wanted to know, gave Clancy access to all that secret material? Clancy, the best-selling novelist who died Tuesday in Baltimore at 66, insisted then, and after, that his information was strictly unclassified: b...

Gene scans solve mystery diseases in kids, adults They were mystery diseases that had stumped doctors for years — adults with strange symptoms and children with neurological problems, mental slowness or muscles too weak to let them stand. Now scientists say they were able to crack a quarter of these cases by decoding the patients’ genes. Their study is the first large-scale effort to move gene sequencing out of the lab and into ordinary medical care, and it shows that high hopes for this tech...

Witness describes bomb scare at Fla. airport JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — As passengers took off their shoes and waited to go through security at the Jacksonville International Airport, a man in a coat, boots and sunglasses tried to bypass the checkpoint, then told an agent he had a bomb in his backpack, authorities and a witness said. In the end, it was a hoax Tuesday night, authorities said. All Zeljko Causevic had in his camouflage backpack was a small luggage scale, a couple of batterie...

Jury rejects claim that Jackson promoter negligentLOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury cleared concert promoter AEG Live on Wednesday of negligence in the hiring of the doctor convicted of killing Michael Jackson. The panel unanimously rejected a lawsuit brought by Jackson’s mother that sought to financially punish AEG Live LLC, the promoters of her son’s “This Is It” concerts planned for London. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the way the jury came out. They got it exactly right,” AEG Live lead defens...

Pressure mounts to fix health insurance exchanges The pressure is on for the federal government and states running their own health insurance exchanges to get the systems up and running after overloaded websites and jammed phone lines frustrated consumers for a second day as they tried to sign up for coverage using the new marketplaces. In some ways, the delays that persisted Wednesday were good news for President Barack Obama and supporters of his signature domestic policy achievement becaus...

Authorities: 8 killed in Tennessee church bus crashDANDRIDGE, Tenn. (AP) — A bus taking a church group home to North Carolina blew a tire, veered across a highway median and crashed into a sport utility vehicle and tractor-trailer Wednesday in a fiery wreck that killed eight people, authorities said. Fourteen other people were hurt in the accident in northeastern Tennessee, including eight who were in critical condition. The bus was carrying members of the Front Street Baptist Church in States...

Obama hails ’historic’ launch of health exchanges WASHINGTON (AP) — Hailing it as an “historic day,” President Barack Obama pressed forward his flagship health care program Tuesday, inaugurating new insurance exchanges to expand access for those without coverage despite the shutdown taking hold across much of the government. Obama said the opportunity to access affordable insurance is life-changing for those who could not do so before the launch of the exchanges, now open for enrollment for s...

BP executive defends spill response tactics NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A BP executive who led the company’s efforts to halt its massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico testified Tuesday that his decisions were guided by the principle that they shouldn’t do anything that could make the crisis even worse. James Dupree, BP’s first witness for the second phase of a trial over the deadly disaster, said his teams worked simultaneously on several strategies for killing the well that blew out in A...

US government shutdown closes parks, monuments PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Visitors arrived to find “CLOSED” signs at the Statue of Liberty, the Smithsonian and other parks and historic sites across the country. Callers looking for help from the government reached only voicemail. And federal employees were left to wonder when they would return to work. The first government shutdown in 17 years took hold Tuesday in ways large and small. About 800,000 federal employees were sent home — a number grea...

Global study: World not ready for aging population The world is aging so fast that most countries are not prepared to support their swelling numbers of elderly people, according to a global study being issued Tuesday by the United Nations and an elder rights group. The report ranks the social and economic well-being of elders in 91 countries, with Sweden coming out on top and Afghanistan at the bottom. It reflects what advocates for the old have been warning, with increasing urgency, for years...

Utilities, solar companies in fight over rates ATLANTA (AP) — Sunlight is free, but if you use it to make electricity your power company wants you to pay. Utilities in many states say solar-friendly rate plans, conceived to promote alternative energy sources, are too generous and allow solar customers to avoid paying for the grid even though they use it. Some power companies are proposing an extra fee for solar customers. Others are trying to roll back or block programs that allow those cu...

Budget fight a perfect storm of issues roiling US WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a political perfect storm: The pairing of a government shutdown with the rollout of a big chunk of the health care law is illustrating all sorts of partisan and cultural tensions that are roiling America. Big government vs. small. The Republican Party’s identity crisis. Sharpening political divisions among Americans. And plenty more. HOW BIG IS TOO BIG? Dueling images of the government powering itself down just as Americ...

Review: Gear watch has potential, but falls short NEW YORK (AP) — It didn’t take long to see how a computerized wristwatch might help manage my digital life — or to see how Samsung’s new Galaxy Gear smartwatch falls short. First, the potential: Smartwatches are supposed to offer quick access to many of the things you normally do on your phone, such as checking messages, taking photos, checking the weather and answering calls. You can install apps for additional functionality that lets you tra...

US manufacturing expands at best pace in 2 1/2 years WASHINGTON (AP) — US factory activity expanded last month at the fastest pace in 2 1/2 years, an encouraging sign that manufacturing could lift economic growth and hiring in the coming months. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, said Tuesday that its manufacturing index rose in September to 56.2, the highest since April 2011. That’s up from 55.7 in August and the fourth straight increase in the index. A r...

Strap on your computer, wearable tech taking off SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The digital domain is creeping off our desktops and onto our bodies, from music players that match your tunes to your heart beat, to mood sweaters that change color depending on your emotional state — blue for calm, red for angry. There are vacuum shoes that clean the floor while you walk and fitness bracelets, anklets and necklaces to track your calorie burning. “Everyone agrees the race is just beginning, and I think we’...

Some young migrants in Laredo protest released MCALLEN, Texas (AP) — Eight of the 34 young migrants who presented themselves to immigration officials at the U.S.-Mexico border without legal documents have been released from U.S. custody, a lawyer said Tuesday. The others remained in detention, but U.S. authorities haven’t said where, immigration attorney David Bennion said. Nearly all of the group who marched across one of Laredo’s international bridges Monday in colorful graduation gowns ...